The Long Knives Are Out for Fetterman

Democrats Covered for Him When They Thought He Was a Progressive, Now They Are Questioning His Ability to Serve.

Ordinarily Democrats circle the wagons, so to speak, around their embattled members of Congress. No matter the scandal, they protect their own. They are willing to tolerate almost any transgression, for example most Democrats didn’t call on New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez to resign until after he was convicted.

That’s why it is so suspicious to see the New York Magazine run a hit piece, “All By Himself”, on Democratic Senator John Fetterman. These attacks are not coming from Republicans, rather the attacks are coming from Democrats. More specifically coming from Fetterman’s own staff. The Senator described the article as “A hit piece”, and I think he is correct. He also described the magazine as “Left Wing”. He is correct about that as well. It’s interesting, indeed refreshing to hear a Democrat call an establishment magazine “Left Wing.”

The article makes it clear that the attacks are coming from Fetterman’s staff, no doubt all of them are lefties. His staff, probably young and most likely pro-Palestinian, signed up to work for a Bernie Sanders style socialist, but Fetterman let them down. He has become a moderate Democrat. And my guess is that the kids that work for him don’t take kindly to his right-wing drift. The spoiled kids in his office, probably grads from UPenn and Rutgers, are now perfectly willing to stab him in the back, and leak to the press. At best it is unseemly to talk about your boss behind his back and at worst it is disloyalty, and any such staffer should be fired. Back in February two members of his staff quit to protest his move to the center. That should have been a wakeup call for Fetterman. He should have realized that he has a disloyal staff.

But why are Democrats outside of Pennsylvania piling on? I have noticed over the years that Democrats always vigorously protect their members except in two cases. If the member becomes a political liability, such as Robert Menendez, or if they stray from the Party line, such as Senator Kyrsten Sinema or Diane Feinstein. Fetterman, once a Bernie Sanders style progressive, has moved to the political center, since he was elected in 2022. A move which has upset a lot of rank-and-file Democrats.

What is the charge against Fetterman? According to the article, some in his office claim that his health has deteriorated. Fetterman had a massive stroke in May of 2022, and is recovering. But the suggestion is that he is getting worse. Just months after the stroke he got elected to the Senate. How could the victim of a massive stroke get elected to the U.S. Senate months later? Well, like Biden, Democrats and the media covered up the extent of his mental incapacity during the campaign. Ironically when Republicans questioned his ability to do the job, Democrats and the media cried discrimination, saying that Republicans were being “ableists”, and “Gross” in going after a mentally handicapped man. Back then MSNBC host Chris Hayes described Fetterman as an “incredibly authentic dude.” Today Hayes is singing a different tune describing Fetterman’s struggles as “profoundly unnerving.”

In the hit piece Fetterman’s health issues are dramatized, “but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew.” By that they could be alluding to the fact that he has changed ideologically, and that the young lefty staffers no longer recognize Fetterman. Too bad.

Indeed, he has moderated his views. After Trump’s victory Fetterman went to Mar- a-Lago to talk with him. He expressed an interest in working with the incoming Trump administration. He voted for the Laken Riley Act earlier this year. It was a bill designed to make it easier to detain and deport illegal aliens who commit crimes. Also upsetting his base is his strong support for Israel. His left-wing Party is now tired of him. They would like to get rid of him, or should I say make an example out of him. That is to send a message to other Democrats who are thinking about working with Trump, don’t do it or we will “Fetterman you.”

I think it is hilarious that Democrats are now concerned about having non compos mentis people in office. They knew when they nominated and campaigned for him in 2022, that he had the stroke and it affected him mentally. Now they want to use it against him because they don’t like his politics. They want to get another Democrat to replace him. Well, too bad he won fair and square. The fact that he has mental health issues was known, not only to Democrats, but also to Pennsylvania voters. They knew and still voted for him. They elected him because he would, “protect a woman’s right to choose.” Ok, well he won, now don’t complain about his mental health when you ignored it when he ran. It is wrong to try to force him out of office.

However, I do think that the Democrats are exaggerating Fetterman’s mental deficiencies. Fetterman is sharper than Biden, and his office is much less important than the Presidency. A Senator who is mentally incompetent is no threat to the Republic. A single Senator can’t start a nuclear war for example. And Democrats shut up about a President’s mental incompetence so certainly they should shut up about a Senator’s.

The other issue that Democrats may be worried about is the possibility that Fetterman may switch Parties and become a Republican. Perhaps they feel they need to get him to resign before that happens. I doubt he will switch Parties, but it wouldn’t shock me if he does. As his brain recovers, he moves more to the right, and at some point, depending on the pace of his mental recovery he soon will feel more at home as a Republican, increasing the odds of his switching Parties.

There is a precedent for a Party switching Senator.

When I was young there was a Colorado Democrat named Ben “Nighthorse” Campbell. He was in the Senate as a Democrat and then switched Parties. He became a Republican. This action caused Democrats to call him “switch horse” Campbell. The last straw for Campbell came when the Senate Democrats killed his Balanced Budget Amendment proposal. He took offense and walked across the aisle and joined the Republicans. I could see Fetterman doing the same thing over a whole host of issues. Immigration, trade and the border are areas where Fetterman sides with Republicans. And if Democrats try to pressure him to resign so they can get another Democrat in his place, he may switch to the Republicans.

Is Fetterman mentally impaired? I’d say no more so than Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono and no one is asking her to resign.

David Shephard is the author of two books. Elections Have Consequences, A Cautionary Tale.

Norton’s Choice:An Inside Politics Exposé: Shephard, David: 9781892538802: Amazon.com: Books